St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-21
first sign of the general blaze and shiverlng

first sign of the general blaze and shivering
in the dark.
Suddenly. just ahead of the order for a
general firing, some one shot off Roman
candle near the rear Of the Palace. Before
the red ball OF light from this one had gone
out 10, 600 others, from all around the pal
ace. shot into the air. The attack was
simultaneous all along the line, and the air
was red and green and blue, with streaks of
fire that shot from all directions
toward the summit of tine castle.
1t made the castle grounds as light as day,
and those who had high watching places
got their first grand view of the thousands
who were there. The bands at once begun
to play, and the crowd
SENT UP A SHOUT
! that echoed far out over the CITY. I'M
mediately on the onslaught of the Fire
Kings men the defending party returned
the fire, and there was a crIsS-cross OF rain
bows. The great mines, frozen in the ice
blocks of the palace, began to blaze and
belch out great bombs that went up hun
dreds OF feet. and bursting, fecked the air
with myriads of many colored stars that
! fell part way toward earth in showers and
! these mOrtarS were like those of artillery
and when they came, it seemed
as if the whole palace trembled.
TO spectator at distance the appear
ance was that of an immense thunder
storm, where the thunder came before the
| lightning, which followed in q hundred
zigzags at once. Before the storm the
palace had been the only luminous thing,
but now the brilliant lights from the fire.
| works llumined the whole vault of heaven,
while the palace was concealed in yellow
! ish smoke through which clouds of sparks
were floating. A great cloud of smoke
from the mortarS poured from the summit
of the central tower and was carried to the
south by the wind, which at that height was
| heavy. a more gorge0uSly brilliant, and yet
almost tragic, picture could hardly be i'm
/ agned. The palace, wrapped in smoke
and the thousand meteors shooting all
around it, the din of the drums and horns
and the wild cries Of the crowd all through
the park, must have resembled, to the
spectator in the distance, a storming where
the opposing kings were after blood, and
where there were more solid relics left on
the battle field than burned out candle
sticks.
At times the smoke partially cleared for
moment from around the palace, and
then the red and green lights in the pal
ace walls ShOne out with mel
low light as rich as the painting on the
rareSt autumn leaves. For nearly half an
hour the grand display was kept up with
out cessation, then gradually the firing
ceased. The mortars became silent and
the candles, one at time, went out. The
crowd began to move back toward the city,
rubbing their noses and ears and hurrying
to get warm. The line of parade was
formed the bands struck marching music.
the armistice had been declared and the
stOrming was ended.
THE ASSAULT AND DEFENSE.
The Fire Kings Chariot Destroyed
by His Own ElemeMt-sFROy L o w Fierce
ly the Battle Ragged About the
Castle.
The forces commanded by the Fire King
formed on Tenth street with right resting
on Minnesota. His chariot was a novel
device and was the invention of General
Manager Van Slyke. 1t was built in the
form of a float Surmounted by crown four
feet in diameter made of copper, with an
immense torch overhead supported by four
rods. The float was lighted by sixty-four
burners, with thirteen lights to each burner,
the light being furnished by gasoline i'll a
'AAii ~ 3ttlAOlh teIilh tAttSVo OllNSl ISdI
seat The ornamental work Oh the float
was designed by Emil Ulrici. while the
lighting apparatus was the work of Robert
Seeger. In the center Of the crown sat ID.
a. Monfort, the Fire King. dressed in suit
OF rel onamented with gold tinSei. The
float was drawn by four horses, covered with
red blankets, The Flambeau club, ninety
five strong, acted as an escort and marched
directly behind the float, while detail of
six from the same club acted as body
guard. The members of the body guard
were armed with fiambeau torches. A few
minutes before o'clock the procession
moved up Minnesota street, and as his
fiery majesty sat within his shining crown,
confident of speedy victory, his sighS for
more worlds to conquer were plainly
audible. But, alas! defeat came sooner
than any one had expected; for no sooner
had the procession become fairly started
than his majeSty'S chariot became envel-
oped in flame and his majesty and attend
ants, throwing aside all show of dignity,
descended from their perches and rolled
their royal forms in the snow. This was
not all-the flames momentarily crept nearer
the tank of gasoline and all thoughts of
victory by his majesty and followers gave
away to fears of an explosion, but the
flames were eXtinguished and the procession
moved Oh the grounds, entering the Robert
street gate. The above mishap will explain
the absence of the Fire Kings chariot from
the line of the attacking force.
AN ARMISTICE DECLARED. 8
To those standing under the castle wall
the affair was not one of unalloyed pleas
ure. Amid the deafening roar Of the
bombs, the cracking of fireworks. and the
showers of fire, it seemed as though those
massive blocks of ice were trembling and
wavering as though about to fall. An oc-
casional splinter of ice, dislodged by the
explosion of the bombs, would come tumb-
ling down from its resting place and fall at
the feet of the castles noble defenders
The fire sparks fell in torrents, and eyes
and faces were constantly endange cred. But
the legions of the glorious King of the Car
nival never wavered. Before the main en-
trance of the castle stood the Knights of
ST. George. and throughout that fearful
battle the cross of red, upon its field of
white, floated gloriously in the face of the
hordeS of the Fire King. At the northern
postern the noble Columbus, led by that
loyal knight, Sir George Allen. held the
enemies of the king at bay. On the east
and west were such brave clans as that of
the Pioneer Press brigade, the WindsorS,
the North Stars, the Nushkas, the Wa
koutas, the Norwegian Ski and Kjelkas,
the Saltwater clubs the Makwas, the
Ryans, the Little Crows the Owls and the
St. Paul curriers'. Furously ragged the
battle, but the brave hosts of Borealis, king
OF the regions of ice and snow, lost not one
foot of ground, but stood fast against the
forces Of the monarch of the caloric regions
And the king, brave Borealis. where was
he? In turret of his castle, with folded
arms and knitted brow. stood Borealis. His
Royal Nibs swept the field of battle with
his eagle eye. He spoke no word save to